


entangled

by LittleTayy



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Complicated Relationships, Dysfunctional Relationships, Emotional Infidelity, F/M, Falling In Love, Falling Out of Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Maddek - Freeform, complicated feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:16:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27576392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleTayy/pseuds/LittleTayy
Summary: en·tan·gled - to become twisted together with or caught in.A story about Mark, Addison and Derek in New York and how they make a mess of their lives. AU. Maddek.
Relationships: Addison Montgomery/Derek Shepherd, Addison Montgomery/Mark Sloan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 9





	1. you belong to somebody else

**Author's Note:**

> So, this story has been on my mind for a while. It's an attempt at a twist of the New York affair and the Maddek dynamic that won't be following canon. I know that this has been done but, I write what I want to read. Besides that, sometimes new takes on an old classic can be fun!
> 
> I figured now that Last Chance Surprise is finished, I can start posting this one. I have a whole playlist curated for this story, if anyone is interested. The title of the chapter comes from the song; You Belong To Somebody Else by DeJ Loaf and Jacquees.
> 
> I hope you enjoy and please review! :) LT.

**part one**

**you belong to somebody else**

**..**

Sitting alone at a hospital fundraising dinner was not how Addison had envisioned her night going. She hadn't had a night off in weeks and she'd been so looking forward to the dinner and, _hopefully_ , a night with her husband. She should've known better though. Derek had begged off at the last minute and frankly, Addison didn't know how he could manage it. This was a fundraising dinner for the hospital they both worked for; if anything, she'd have assumed the Chief would've ordered him to attend. After all, wasn't he the hospital's 'star surgeon'?

Addison scoffed a little at the thought, sipping her wine and tried not to look as bitter as she was currently feeling. She'd been abandoned for surgery once again. It shouldn't have bothered her, not anymore, it was so common and yet it still stung.

She finished her wine, placing the glass back down on the table and casting her gaze out over the other guests. It was a wide array of people in attendance, many of whom she was familiar with and then she smiled, her eyes settling on one particularly familiar figure. It wasn't her husband but she was just as happy to see him.

Mark Sloan sauntered his way through the crowd of people, looking rather impeccable in his pressed tux, making his way over to Addison. He was running late, some complications had come up in a surgery that he'd had to deal with but, he was here now. He smirked as he took a seat beside his redheaded friend, eyebrow raising playfully at the empty wine glass in front of her.

"Started without me Red?" he asked teasingly, sipping at the scotch he'd procured before making his way over to her. "Where's Derek? Thought he'd be here complaining about the penguin suits," he continued with a grin and a laugh.

The grin faded however when he saw the dark look that crossed her face and he grimaced instead.

"He's not here," Addison replied sharply, elegant fingers toying with the stem of her empty wine glass. She wished a waiter would come by so she could get another drink. Alcohol probably wasn't a good idea but at the moment, she didn't particularly care. She needed it to smother the emptiness and bitterness that was slowly growing inside her.

"Well that doesn't mean we can't have fun without him," Mark said after a moment, finishing off his scotch and setting it down. He leant forward, grinning at her and though she didn't want to, Addison couldn't help but smile back at him a little. It seemed as if Mark had been having that affect on her more and more lately; she didn't know how or when but Mark had become her best friend.

"Oh and what are you suggesting?" Addison asked, an eyebrow raising as she looked back at him curiously. Some of Mark's 'fun' ideas weren't always particularly good ones.

She was surprised then, when he stood up to his full height and extended his hand out to her in a rather gentlemanly gesture. Addison smirked, gentleman was not a word she'd ever used about Mark before. But, she put her hand in his and let him pull her up from her seat. "Let's dance. I know how much you enjoy it," Mark replied, his usual smirk back in place.

Addison rolled her eyes but let him lead her towards the dance floor. Derek hated dancing and had only ever done it for her benefit. As Mark's hand settled on the small of her back and he began to lead her in a waltz, as the other couple's were doing, she remembered that he was a rather excellent dancer himself. It was a well kept secret for the most part but he'd admitted once that he'd been forced to learn as a teenager. She'd always forgotten that they'd had very similar privileged upbringings - though he'd spent so much time with the Shepherds, she wasn't sure if it counted.

He held her firmly and she settled her hand on his shoulder, their other hands locked together beside them. They danced through the motions and Addison tried to ignore the fact that their bodies were pressed together in an almost more then friendly position. She didn't know if it was the alcohol she'd imbibed, or if it was simply that she missed being so close to someone, but she was enjoying being in his arms immensely.

So much so that she forgot about Derek for a moment, letting her head rest against his shoulder as they danced. It was an intimate gesture but at this point she didn't care. All she cared about was the fact that Mark was indeed making her feel better. "You feeling better Red?" she heard him murmur against her hair, almost as if he could read her mind.

She pulled back then, to look him in the eyes, giving him a smile. "I am. _Thank you_ ," Addison told him softly, smiling as he smiled back at her. "And thank you for knowing...you know," she intoned, dipping her head a little, suddenly embarrassed. The alcohol really must've been getting to her now.

Mark simply smiled back at her. "It's what I'm here for Red," he told her softly and Addison felt butterflies in her stomach at the sincerity in his voice. She smiled back, suddenly feeling heat rush to her cheeks and she took a step back, dropping her hand from his.

"I need another drink. Do you want one?" she asked, changing the conversation rather abruptly but Mark took it in stride. There was a tension between them that he hadn't meant to create and though he knew he had feelings for her, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

He nodded, "Sure. You know how I like it," he said with his trademark smirk. He sighed as he watched her hurry off and made his way back to their table.

Soon enough she was back with two drinks in hand. He took the tumbler from her with ease, his fingers grazing hers. He watched as she stilled, her breath hitching a little at the contact and he couldn't help but stare. Her lips pressed together and she looked at him through her lashes quickly before glancing away.

He was starting to wonder if the attraction he felt was mutual. With any other woman he'd be making a move, flirting her into bed but this was Addison, his best friend's wife. He couldn't do that to her _or_ to Derek.

"Thanks Addie," he told her as she sat down.

The rest of the night passed quickly then, as they mingled through the dinner. Slowly, the whole event began to wind down and though Addison knew she'd had a little too much to drink, she wasn't drunk. Still, Mark insisted on escorting her home.

"I do know how to hail a cab Mark," Addison told him testily, glaring at him but it only lasted a moment. She actually found it rather sweet that he wanted her to get home safely.

Mark chuckled, not nearly anywhere near as intoxicated as Addison was. "I'm sure you can Addison. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to take you home," he told her firmly, a hand on her back as he ushered her out of the building.

She shivered in the night air, suddenly regretting her strapless dress and updo for the night. But, she smiled when she felt Mark's jacket settle over her shoulders; she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He didn't say anything, just looked back for a moment but she could see the care in his eyes.

Before she knew it, he'd hailed a taxi and was opening the door for her. She slid in, not at all surprised when he followed behind her, giving the driver the address for the brownstone. She sighed, settling herself beside him easily, letting her head rest against his shoulder. She felt him stiffen for a moment before relaxing back against the seat and before she could really think about it, she reached out for his hand, lacing their fingers together.

She was so thankful for Mark being there tonight and for entertaining her and keeping her company. She'd been well on her way to being drunk and angry before he'd shown up. She breathed deeply, nuzzling her head a little more against his shoulder; she was glad he was there for her.

"You smell good," Addison murmured, instantly blushing as soon as she heard herself say the words. She hadn't meant to say that out loud but it was true. She didn't know what cologne he wore but she couldn't help but to enjoy it.

"Really?" Mark murmured, surprised by her words and wondering if he'd actually heard her right. He couldn't have though; that wasn't something he thought she'd willingly tell him, even in her slightly drunk state.

"Mhm," she nodded against his shoulder. He thought that was the end of it but then she sat up a little, so she could look at him. "I like it," she told him softly, lips quirking up in a smile. "You should wear it more often," she insisted, giving his hand a little squeeze.

Mark could only grin, watching her in amusement. He nodded though, "Just for you Red," he teased, winking at her as they finally pulled up in front of the brownstone.

He paid the driver and helped her out of the cab, the darkness of her home no doubt meaning Derek hadn't bothered to come home. He hid a sigh as he thought of his best friend. Derek's complete disregard for anything other then surgery was wearing thin; and not just with Addison. Though she was the main victim of Derek's absence, Mark and even Derek's family were starting to feel it just as much. Mark was pretty sure his best friend hadn't been to a family event in well over a year, leaving Addison to explain why he wasn't there. He knew having to tell his family those excuses wore on Addison more then she ever let on.

Mark helped her up the steps, a hand steadying her on her side and he frowned a little when he heard her sigh. Clearly, she'd noticed the darkness of her home and had come to same the conclusion as Mark had. Derek wasn't home and he probably wouldn't be coming home either.

"I know I've said it a bunch tonight already. But _thank you_ Mark. I...I really appreciate you taking care of me and spending time with me," Addison said suddenly, stopping in front of the frosted glass door and turning to look up at Mark. She gave him a lovely smile, slipping his jacket off her shoulders and handing it back to him.

Mark smiled, head dipping a little and running a hand over the back of his head at her words. "No problem, Red. I always have fun with you," he told her, his smile genuine as he stepped a little closer.

Addison smiled brilliantly once again, pressing her lips together for a moment, the butterflies in her stomach back once more. She took a step closer, eyeing him carefully as she leant up her hands settling on his solid chest for a moment, as she pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek. "Goodnight Mark," she whispered, her warm breath sending warmth spreading through him.

She stepped back then, pulling her keys from her purse swiftly. She knew she was playing a dangerous game but for once, she didn't want to stop. Not when it felt so good to be so close to Mark.

"Night Addie," Mark said after a moment, still a little stunned at her actions, just watching as she made her way inside.

He took a deep breath, running a hand over his face and shaking his head before turning to leave. The whole night had felt surreal and Mark wasn't sure what to make of it. It seemed almost _flirty_ but he tried not to let himself think of that, not when he knew nothing could happen between them. She was _Addison_ , Derek's wife and Mark knew he couldn't cross that line, no matter how much he wanted to.

Inside Addison took several deep breaths, leaning her back against the wall beside the door. She didn't know what she was going to do. She hadn't realised it until she'd kissed his cheek, his scent overwhelming her, that she was attracted to Mark. Mark Sloan, notable manwhore and more importantly, her _husband's_ best friend. It was so inappropriate but she couldn't help it.

She shook her head, she was married, she couldn't be thinking like that. She loved Derek, truly she did. But attraction couldn't be helped, she knew that; she just couldn't act on it. Even though a part of her so desperately wanted to.


	2. i'll do them for you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I wasn't going to post this but I've got a couple chapters written and I'm struggling with the next chapter of Kill Your Darlings, so I thought I may as well post this. Also, I am so sorry for flooding the Addison/Mark section...hah. 
> 
> The title comes from the song 'All The Things (Your Man Won't Do)' by Joe. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please review. :) LT.

**part two**

**i'll do them for you**

**..**

Mark was having an excellent day. He'd performed two surgeries and he'd woken up with a cute little blonde in his bed. Over all his morning had been going great and as he made his way through the hospital, he decided he was going to take Addison to a late lunch. He'd checked the surgical board earlier and knew that both she and Derek were busy with surgeries; Derek more so then Addison. He chose to ignore the fact that he'd looked for Addison's name before Derek's.

He knew Addison's surgery would be finished by now but striding through the surgical floor he frowned when he couldn't spot the pink scrubs he'd associated her with. He was just about to give up, lean across the nurses station and flirt a little with Nurse Jenny when he spotted a familiar redhead in the pink scrubs he'd been searching for. Mark frowned though as he took in the tense set of her shoulders and the troubled look on her face.

Her head was down, hands fisted on her hips and her scrub cap still curled tightly in one. Mark didn't need to be a genius to realise that her surgery hadn't gone well. In fact, judging by the direction she'd come from, he had a sinking feeling she'd just come from telling a family member bad news.

"Addie?" He called out gently, coming to stop just beside her. He saw her tense as she heard her name before lifting her head to meet his gaze. Her lips were pressed together tightly and her eyes were watering but Mark could tell she was trying to keep it together. He went to pat her shoulder but she quickly shook her head; he recognised this for what it was. If he touched her, comforted her now, she would break down on the surgical floor and he knew she'd view that as a crime.

So, instead he tugged at a wrist quickly, nodding his head for her to follow. "Come on," he whispered to her, leading the way to the closest on call room. He didn't care how it might look because Addison was his friend and right now she needed someone.

Her head is still bowed as she enters and Mark closes the door behind them. He leans back against it, giving Addison some space. "What happened Red?" He asked gently, brows furrowed with concern.

Addison takes a deep breath and slowly releases the air, lifting her head. "I lost...both patients today. Mother died on the table and the...the baby," the words trembled on her lips as she spoke, tears wetting her cheeks. "I tried. I tried to keep him alive. I tried so hard but," she sobbed, the tears overtaking her.

Mark took two long steps forward and engulfed her in a hug. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and securely, pulling her against his chest. A large warm hand strokes up and down her back as he soothes her; not sure if he should say anything at all.

Addison was tense as he pulled her close and held her but only for a moment. Eventually the need for comfort overtook her and she was slipping her arms around his torso, sobbing into his shoulder. She clung to him tightly, her hands fisting into his scrub top as she all but pressed herself into him.

Mark wasn't sure how much time had passed but eventually her sobs quietened and her body relaxed. Mark continued holding her for a few minutes though before slowly pulling back to look her in the eye. Her face was red and tears stained her cheeks but he used the back of his fingers to wipe them away gently. She looked exhausted and sad.

"You got a surgery or appointment soon?" he asked quietly, ducking his head a little to catch her eyes.

Addison shook her head. "No," she murmured, looking up at him sadly, her arms still wrapped around him.

"Alright. Come on," he murmured, taking one of her hands in his and pulling her towards the bottom bed of one of the bunks.

"What are you-?" Addison said, brows creasing as she looked at him in confusion, letting her body follow him though as he lead her.

"We're gonna lay down till you calm down a little. Okay?" Mark told her softly, sitting himself down on the bed and pulling her down with him. He grinned then, his infamous smirk. "And I promise no funny business," he teased, hoping to get a little smile out of her.

Addison sighed but sat down, shaking her head in amusement at her friend. "Okay," she whispered, letting him pull her down into a laying position. He shifted so he was against the wall, very aware of the fact that only their arms were touching now. It was awkward and silent for a moment.

"Mark?" Addison asked softly, turning her head to look at her friend. Her teeth worried at her bottom lip as she thought how best to ask him what she wanted to ask him. "Can you...hold me?" she murmured out into the dark room. She wondered what Derek would think about this, her and Mark sharing a bed, her asking him to hold her. She had a feeling he wouldn't be too happy but as Mark opened his arms to her and let her cuddle against his chest, she found that she didn't care. She needed comfort and Mark was willing to give it.

Mark settled on his back, letting Addison move into the position she wanted. He didn't want to force anything on her and frankly, he wasn't sure what would be appropriate or not. He smiled though when she slid an arm over his stomach and rested her head against his chest. "Thank you Mark," he heard her whisper and he couldn't help but smile.

They settled into a tense silence, one of Mark's arms wrapped around her body and slowly rubbing up and down her back. His other hand was firmly alongside his own body - unsure whether he could touch her more. He cursed himself for wanting to do nothing more than wrap her up in a hug and soothe her. But...the position they were in was already a little compromising. He couldn't help being overtly aware of every movement and body placement they were making.

It was nothing though. They weren't doing anything wrong. He was simply one friend helping another friend feel better. There was nothing _untoward_ happening.

He had to keep reminding himself of this as he felt Addison shift against him, pressing into him more. He tried not to focus on the feel of her breast against his chest; or her hair that fluttered against his chin. He absolutely was not going to think about the way she could so easily press against his hip and tangle her legs with his. No, he wasn't going to think about any of that.

Some time later, Addison awoke with a start, rubbing a hand blearily over her face. A pager was buzzing against her hip and as she shifted to reach for it, she realised there were two strong arms keeping her put. Pulling back a little, she let her eyes adjust and smiled softly as she figured out whose broad chest she'd been sleeping on.

Mark looked surprisingly peaceful in repose and Addison hated the thought of waking him. But she needed to. She used her free hand to shake at his opposite shoulder. "Mark, wake up," she insisted, surprised he hadn't woken with the pager as she had. Then again she had a lot more experience being paged during her sleep then he did.

He murmured a little but stayed asleep. She slapped at his chest harder then, biting back a smirk as he jerked awake. "Mark!" She whispered loudly, as he finally opened his eyes. "Let go," she continued hurriedly as he blearily looked up at her.

He looked confused until she gestured to his arms tight around her body. "Shit. Sorry Red," he mumbled as he let go of her, shifting away from her on the bed. If Addison didn't know any better she'd think he was starting to blush.

"It's fine. I got paged," she said sitting up on the bed now as she checked her pager. She frowned a little as she stood up. "A laboring mother," she said by way of explanation. "I better go," she said, giving Mark a small but sincere smile.

"Course, Red," Mark nodded, grinning at her as he shifted to the edge of the bed and stood. He could see her hesitance though as she headed for the door. "Hey, you're a kickass surgeon and a brilliant doctor. You've got this Addie," he encouraged, giving her his widest smile.

He kept grinning at her nod and chuckle. "Thanks Mark," she replied over her shoulder as she made her way out of the on call room. Mark stayed for a moment longer, simply basking in the fact he'd managed to help her in some small way. Exiting the on call room, he could no longer deny that he liked helping Addison feel good.

**..**

It had been a bad day for Addison. She'd been upset and nervous and doubting her world-class surgical abilities. It was natural, she knew, after losing patients to question yourself. And though her impromptu on call room cuddle with Mark had helped; she was hoping to have a quiet, comforting night with her husband.

"Derek," Addison started as they both settled themselves down on the sofa in their living room, her eyes on his pager that he'd popped by a coaster on the coffee table. "This _is_ your night off isn't it? I thought Hardwick was on call tonight," she questioned tightly, a frown on her features as she looked at her husband. Dr. Ryan Hardwick was the other neuro attending and though Addison knew Derek was as world class as she was; it wasn't like Hardwick couldn't handle any neuro cases that came in overnight.

She hated that just the sight of Derek's pager sent a coil of tension winding in her stomach.

Derek sighed though, at her words, and chose instead to focus on the dinner in front of him. He didn't want to fight with Addison but he could tell by the tone of her voice that that probably wasn't an option. He set his glance of water down on the available coaster, he knew the longer he took to answer, the more annoyed she would get.

"He is. But there could still be an emergency. You know what it's like, Addie," he said, his own annoyance seeped into his voice. And he was annoyed, this was an argument they seemed to be having _a lot_ lately. "Besides," he huffed, pointing to her own pager on the end table beside her, "it's not like yours isn't right beside _you_."

Addison's jaw tensed at her husband's words. "That's because I'm _actually_ on call, Derek. And I have patients that can go into labor at any time," she replied through gritted teeth.

This was not how she'd wanted their night to go. She wanted to relax and feel comforted. Not argue over the same old stupid thing they always argued about.

"So your patients are more important than mine?" Derek challenged, turning in his seat to face her. He knew he shouldn't pick a fight with her because that's not at all what she meant. But he can't seem to help himself - as annoyed as she gets with him, he kept finding himself just as annoyed with her. If he gave it more thought, he'd realise that wasn't a good sign.

Addison looked at him incredulously, brows furrowed tightly. "That's not what I said. But my patients are a little more unpredictable than yours. Babies don't follow a schedule," Addison hissed, her momentary thought of not engaging with the argument swiftly forgotten.

Derek scoffed. "Neither do other medical emergencies, Addison," he drawled, voice full of condescension.

Addison shook her head and wished for a large glass of wine. She said nothing, barely able to look at her husband as she stood up abruptly and then made her way towards the kitchen. She didn't want to have this fight, not now and not again. She dumped her dinner and on the way back, snatched up her pager as she headed for the stairs.

"I'm going to bed. Do whatever you want Derek," she told him tiredly, not even looking in his direction.

It didn't take her long to get upstairs and into bed. Addison snuggled into her pillow, gripping tightly seeking the comfort she had wanted from her husband. The only discussion they'd had that night had been about dinner and Addison couldn't help but think it was a sad state for her marriage to be in. They couldn't even talk to each other any more.

She was surprised from her pouting when she felt the bed dip behind her. She didn't turn over though. Instead she stayed cuddling her pillow and tried to ignore Derek's arm snaking around her body.

"I didn't mean to get all...huffy on you Addie. It's just been a long week and I'm worried about a patient, you know how it is sometimes. But I don't want to argue. We okay?" Derek murmured against the back of her neck. He planted a kiss against the bare skin of her shoulder and Addison resisted the urge to cringe.

It felt like everything was always about Derek. _He'd_ had a long week. _He_ was worried about a patient. _He_ had an important surgery. _He_ didn't want to argue. It startled Addison to realise that she couldn't even remember the last time Derek had asked _her_ about her work. She couldn't help but wonder when he'd stopped being interested in her.

"Yeah," she murmured in response, nodding her head a little. She didn't know what else to say; how she could articulate to him what it was she was feeling. Instead she just let him spoon her, fleetingly wishing it was someone else's arms around her.


	3. i'm just not happy in this home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Derek was hard and I revised this chapter several times trying to get his voice right to a degree that I liked. I hope I've written him somewhat believably at least. 
> 
> The title of this chapter comes from the song 'Here I Am' by Monica. Check it out. There is a barely curated playlist [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1TyS3SfpZzvbKZgtht8sYB?si=x0Z7Ci2lSaObH2Xz1MAlaQ) for this story if anyone is interested in listening to it. All chapter titles come from a song on the playlist. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please review. :) LT.

**part three**

**i'm just not happy in this home**

**..**

Derek would never admit it but sometimes he avoided going home. It felt like all he and Addison did sometimes was fight and it was exhausting. So instead of going home he'd stay at the hospital, holing up in his office or an on call room for the night which never helped things at all. It only ever delayed the inevitable arguments and then the cycle would start all over again and Derek had no clue how to break it.

It certainly didn't help that for the past week all they'd done was fight. Derek wasn't sure he even knew what they were fighting about anymore or if shouting had become their only mode of communication. Either way, the cold shoulder Addison had given him that afternoon on the surgical floor was enough incentive for him to forgo going home for the time being. His shift was over though and he reluctantly made his way through the hospital, heading for the entrance.

Until he spotted Mark leaning against the reception desk, clearly trying to chat up the woman behind the desk. He chuckled a little at the sight, it was classic Mark Sloan. He realised then that he hadn't seen his old friend very much lately. Striding towards him, he decided going home wasn't as important as getting a drink with Mark; at least it'd delay him for another hour or so. "Mark!" he called out jovially, smiling at his old friend. "Quit harassing the poor girl," he joked, as he came to a stop beside the plastic surgeon.

Mark turned at the sound of Derek's voice and his surprise was quickly hidden with amusement. "We were just chatting," Mark asserted, throwing a cocky wink to the receptionist before turning more towards Derek. "You on your way out?" he asked, sounding surprised.

Derek shook his head at his old friend. "I am. Do you want to get a drink?" Derek asked hopefully, knowing that his friend wouldn't turn down a bar at this time of the evening. By the looks of it, Mark had already been on his way out to head to a bar anyway. Derek figured he'd just accompany him along; a drink or two before going home wasn't going to hurt.

"Sure," Mark agreed, grinning widely and Derek was sure that had been his plan for the night anyway. "We waiting for Addie, or-?"

"Oh. Uh, no. Not tonight," Derek told him a little sheepishly, shrugging as the two made their way out of the hospital.

He was grateful when Mark didn't say anything more about Addison, though he was surprised he brought her up to begin with. He supposed there had been a time when they never left the hospital without each other and if they did, it was very rare. But that time had long since passed, unfortunately.

They made their way down the street towards a popular bar on the corner. It was one generally frequented by hospital staff and Derek was sure Mark'd find some pretty nurse to take home. For once Derek didn't mind drinking while he watched his friend turn on the charm; it amazed him honestly that women still fell for it. He knew it sounded a little sexist, and he'd never say it out loud, but he couldn't imagine any woman with sense going to bed with Mark or being taken in by his particular brand of charm.

He loved his best friend but they were two very different men.

They ordered their scotches and sat down at a table then. It really had been a long time since he and Mark had gotten to spend any time together. It felt good to just relax after work instead of having some rip-roaring fight with Addison about some random thing or another. Oh, he knew they had their problems and he knew he wasn't as _present_ as he should be, as he could be. But he just didn't know **how** to put the effort back into their marriage anymore and it made him feel even guiltier when he noticed how hard Addison did try.

Derek was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the buzz of his cellphone against the sticky wooden table and sighed as Addison's name flashed on the screen. He contemplated answering it but knew it'd no doubt just lead to an argument and he was having far too good of a time to bother with it now. He silenced it and pocketed it, giving Mark a tight grin as he noticed his friends questioning gaze.

"Just Addie," Derek said by way of an explanation, taking a sip of his second scotch and not expecting Mark to say much else. Mark and Addison hadn't initially hit it off in the beginning but slowly they'd become good friends and Derek was glad he'd never had to choose between the two. He'd have hated to lose either one of them.

"You sure you shouldn't take that?" Mark asked, voice light and casual as he spoke. He may have been a friend to both of them but he tried not to get in between them when they weren't on good terms. Unfortunately, it had been a long time since they'd been on good terms as far as Mark could see.

"What? No, it's fine. She's fine," Derek told Mark, tapping his fingers absently along the glass tumbler.

"If you say so, man," Mark shrugged casually, taking a swig of his drink. He really didn't want to get into it with Derek over Addison. He had to remind himself that even though he was their friend, it wasn't his business. As much as Mark thought it was idiotic for the man to be ignoring his wife, he didn't really feel like it was his place to say anything, especially when it was clear Derek didn't want to talk about it.

Derek frowned at Mark's words though, bringing his drink to his lips and eyeing his best friend curiously. It was clear Mark wanted to say something but was holding back. "You clearly have something to say Mark," Derek said after a moment, trying not to sound as abrasive as he felt. He couldn't imagine Mark had any useful insight on marriage, especially not his.

Mark shook his head, taking a gulp of his own drink as he looked over at Derek. He didn't want to get involved, he didn't want to get between them. But he also knew how much Derek's absence was hurting Addison. It wasn't his place but Mark had to wonder if anyone else would tell Derek that what he was doing was starting to ruin his marriage. He wondered if there was anyone else close enough to truly see just how bad things were getting.

"Look, man, I know it's not really my business. But is everything okay? You just...seem to be blowing Addie off a lot lately and...she misses you man," Mark told him, shrugging as he talked.

Derek's eyebrow rose at the words. "Is that what she told you then?" Derek scoffed, a tinge of disdain evident in his voice. Suddenly he was wondering just how much Addison talked to Mark and _when_ that had happened. He didn't know if he liked his wife sharing such personal things like that with Mark, of all people.

Mark immediately shook his head. "Nah, man. She didn't say that. But I've known her just as long as you and I can tell she misses you. They don't make them like Addison anymore, man. If you're not careful, you might lose her," Mark told him, trying to sound as casual and non-threatening as he could.

"Lose her?" Derek echoed, frowning deeply now. "What are you talking about Mark? Do you know something that I don't?" he asked worriedly.

"No, no. I just mean Addie isn't the type of woman you just ignore. You couldn't ignore her after the first time you met her. So why are you ignoring her now?" Mark asked bluntly, giving his best friend a pointed look.

Derek huffed into his drink, frowning as he tried to digest Mark's words. He didn't reply, he simply drank because he realised, he didn't have a good answer for Mark. He _was_ blowing Addison off. He was ignoring her and avoiding her. He was taking her for granted and Derek wasn't sure when or how that had started. But he didn't want to think about that, not tonight at least.

"You want another drink?" He asked after downing his scotch and standing from his seat. Mark simply nodded, sighing as he watched his friend; he knew the conversation was over now. He just hoped that Derek actually took his words to heart.

**..**

A knock on the front door of the brownstone startled Addison as she sat curled up on the couch, wine glass in hand. It was close to midnight and she was still in the dress she'd worn to Savvy and Weiss's anniversary dinner. A dinner she'd been embarrassingly stood up at.

Slowly she stood up, leaving the wine glass on the coffee table and made her way to the front door. She frowned, a little hesitant, wondering who'd be knocking at such a late hour; until she heard familiar voice on the other side. She was still standing by the stairs when the door swung open to reveal her husband and her husband's best friend. For a moment she studied them both, thinking they were both drunk before realising that wasn't the case.

"Uh, a little help Red?" Mark called to her as he tried to manoeuvre Derek inside. Addison moved forward but instead of helping Mark with Derek, she simply held the door open wider. She was mad, fuming really with her husband and despite how petty it was, she didn't really _want_ to help him right now. Not when he'd left her sitting like a fool in front of their friends; the pity obvious in their eyes.

Mark had only intended to deposit his friend inside but seeing that Addison wasn't moving to help her husband in any way, Mark decided differently. Though dishevelled, it was clear that Addison was all dressed up for a night out and that Derek had bailed on her. Mark had the sinking feeling that Derek hadn't even _remembered_ he was supposed to be on some kind of date with Addie. If he had he was sure the man would've asked him to go in his place.

He heard Addison slam the door shut behind them as he directed Derek towards the stairs. "I think she's mad," Derek said in a terrible stage whisper, certainly loud enough for Addison to hear him. Mark didn't need to look at the redhead to know she was sending some kind of glare her husband's way. Mark cringed.

"Come on, man. Let's get you up to your bed," he encouraged, shaking his head.

Twenty minutes later, Mark has left Derek on his side in his bedroom and made his way downstairs. He flounders awkwardly for a moment at the bottom of the stairs, not sure what to do. Addison had clearly been upset but Derek was right upstairs. His mind was made up when he saw the slight shake of Addison's shoulders over the back of the couch.

"Red?" Mark whispered to her as he came closer, moving around the couch so he could see her properly.

"He didn't remember did he?" Addison asked, finally looking up at her friend, the tear tracks clear on her face. She hated how often she cried over Derek; it wasn't supposed to be like this. When Mark grimaced and sat down beside her gently, Addison shook her head, hands wiping quickly at her cheeks. "We were supposed to go to a couple's dinner with Savvy and Weiss. It's their anniversary. I told Derek about it weeks ago. I set him a reminder! And he still didn't remember. He stood me up with two of our closest friends to go get drunk and, _God_ , Mark. I've never been more embarrassed in my life," Addison told him sadly.

"Oh, Addie," Mark sighed, frowning at the heartache he could see so clearly in her eyes. He hated the way she seemed so defeated by it all. Before he could think it through, he reached out and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms firmly around her body and pulling her onto his lap. He was surprised when he felt Addison snuggle into him, her arms wrapping around his body and her head pressing against his chest. "I'm sorry," he whispered to her, a hand twisting in her hair gently.

Addison pulled back a little, to look up at him. "It's not your fault Mark. You don't make his decisions for him," she replied softly, teeth sinking into her bottom lip for a moment, eyes fluttering as she looked up at him. Instinctively she leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of Mark's mouth before quickly pulling back and burrowing against his neck. "Thank you. You're a good friend," she murmured against his neck, closing her eyes.

Mark nodded, surprised by the kiss and tried not to read too much into it. Instead he just held her tighter, pressing a sweet kiss to her forehead, glad she'd stopped crying over Derek. At least for the night.


	4. i'm tempted to pay attention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't originally planned to be the next chapter but it just came out as I was writing. I've got a lot of muse for this. The chapter title comes from the song 'If' by Beyonce. It's one of my favourite songs of hers, you should check it out.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Please review. :) LT

**part four**

**i'm tempted to pay attention**

_**..** _

A loud clap of thunder echoed through the brownstone so loudly it startled Addison awake. She jumped slightly, still groggy from sleep and moved to turn over to glance out the window, only to realise that she wasn't in her bed. Instead, by the looks of it, she was in her living room, sleeping on a warm, solid chest and wrapped up in someone's arms. For a moment, she thought she'd fallen asleep with Derek the night before and snuggled back against his chest.

She breathed in deeply, trying to will herself to fall back asleep. Her brows furrowed a little when she recognised the cologne lingering on the man beneath her and just as suddenly as she'd woken up before, she woke up again. Eyes wide, she shifted a little to look up, surprised to see Mark's face; his head angled awkwardly against the back of the couch. For a moment, Addison wasn't sure what to do; a part of her wanted to lay back down and cuddle with Mark. But the more rational part of her was reminded that he was her husband's best friend and that her husband was just upstairs.

In fact, she had no doubt Derek wouldn't be happy if he saw them in the position they were in. Which was why she slowly shifted in his grasp, trying not to wriggle in his lap too much. "Mark," she whispered, wrapping one of her hands around his and pulling them from her waist. The whole situation felt like deja vu of their on call room cuddle almost a month ago and Addison had to wonder how she kept ending up cuddling with Mark Sloan.

He was sound asleep though and Addison couldn't believe the man was such a deep sleeper. Another clap of thunder, louder this time, finally seemed to make him stir. Slowly his eyes opened as he yawned, his arms flexing a little as they dropped from around her waist, a hand coming up to rub over his face tiredly. It takes him a moment, longer then Addison would have assumed, for him to realise that she was half laying across his lap and Addison had to stifle a giggle at the look of confusion on his face.

"Uh, Red? Why am I on your couch and why are you…?" he asked slowly, voice thick with sleep, that sends a shiver down Addison's spine at the tone.

"Oh!" Addison all but squeaked out awkwardly, pushing herself off the couch and quickly to her feet. "Oh, uh...we must have, you know, fallen asleep. But um," and she doesn't know why she's so flustered all of a sudden. It's just _Mark_. "It's late. And it's storming. You can sleep in the guest room if you want?" she offered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she looked at him.

Mark shifts until he's sitting up, his knee brushing up against her own as he stared up at her. For a moment, Addison isn't sure what to think as they stare at each other and she hopes the room is dark enough that he can't see the blush rising on her cheeks. And then he's nodding and Addison takes a measured step away, smoothing a hand down the silk dress she hadn't had the chance to change out of yet.

"Yeah, the guest room is good. Don't think I should try and venture out in that storm," Mark chuckled, voice still full of bass. He was looking out the front window then as thunder and lightning enveloped the brownstone.

Addison nodded, moving towards the front door to lock it. "No, probably not. I'd hate to be stuck out there," she murmured quietly, yawning as she turned back around to face Mark. He was by the bottom of the steps, looking at her almost expectantly. "The guest bed should be made up. And, you know where everything is," she teased, giving him a small smile to break the unusual tension in the room. She gestured back towards the kitchen as she started to move past him. "I'm just gonna get some aspirin for Derek. Goodnight Mark," Addison told him, glancing over her shoulder to give him a warm smile.

"Goodnight, Red," Mark murmured back to her before turning and heading up the stairs. Addison watched him go for a moment, feeling as if something had changed between them and wondering when it had.

**..**

The next morning Addison was up early; it was a Saturday and she had the day off. She knew for a fact both Mark and Derek did too; though she doubted, even with his hangover, that Derek would stick around for the day. Derek was always only a page away from disappearing and Addison knew she had her moments too but she felt like she at least _tried_ in a way that Derek didn't. But Addison didn't want to think so negatively, not when the day had just begun and they had the chance to have a _good_ day.

Quietly, she bypassed her still sleeping husband and made her way out of their bedroom. The door to the guest bedroom was still closed and Addison assumed that meant Mark was still asleep and she wondered how long it'd be until they both woke up. At least for the moment, she'd have a quiet morning.

Her first stop once she was downstairs was the kitchen. She turned the coffee pot on and then despite the fact she was still very much pissed off with her husband, she'd cook breakfast. She knew he'd need something to help the hangover and soak up the alcohol that had been in his system the night before. Addison's cooking skills weren't the best but the prepackaged pancakes only needed to have water added and she knew she wouldn't screw that up.

There was a stack of mostly brown, edible pancakes on the counter when someone appeared in the threshold of the kitchen. Addison was so focused on the pancakes however that she didn't notice him for a moment but when she did, she couldn't help but stare a little. Mark was shirtless, wearing only a pair of grey sweats that Addison could only assumed he'd left in the guest room at some point or another. They hung low on his hips and though she'd seen Mark shirtless countless of times by now, she couldn't help but let her eyes trace over the defined v of his abdomen.

"Good morning Addison," Mark greeted her jovially, voice gravelly with sleep, just as it had been the night before.

Addison's eyes immediately shot up from where they'd been focused, cheeks burning brightly as she realised she'd been caught checking out her husband's best friend. "Morning Mark!" she stammered out awkwardly, turning away from him quickly and focusing on the bacon sizzling in the pan. She didn't understand what was wrong with her, why she was getting so flustered by Mark.

So caught up in her thoughts, Addison barely noticed when the bacon started burning. She was startled from her thoughts when she felt Mark by her side, reaching around her to pluck the bacon strips from the pan and onto a plate. "Trying to burn the house down so early Red?" Mark teased, letting his bare chest press against her side for a moment as he put some more bacon strips on the pan.

"Sorry," Addison told him, pressing her lips together as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Got lost in thought," she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. She didn't miss the way Mark smirked and his eyebrow rose at her words and she tried not to sigh in embarrassment. It was so obvious that he knew she'd checked him out; it was no doubt doing wonders for his ego.

"Happens to the best of us," Mark teased, winking at her before nudging her lightly out of the way. "Let me. At least I can make bacon," he continued, shaking his head at her as he took over.

Addison didn't put up much of an argument, taking the opportunity to put some space between her and Mark. She pulled out three plates and three glasses, setting their small kitchen table. Addison was trying to keep herself busy. If she let herself, she knew she'd get distracted by Mark's back; as toned and muscled as his front. His shoulders and arms flexing with each movement he made and, _oh_ , there she was staring at him once again. Immediately, she turned away, keeping her eyes focused on the cupboards in front of her as she pulled out the maple syrup and then opened the fridge for the butter too.

She placed the items on the table, taking a moment to take a deep breath as she fiddled with the cutlery she'd laid out. Her slight flustered panic was interrupted when a second, slightly more dishevelled figure appeared in the threshold of the kitchen. Derek squinted into the kitchen, hair a mess, looking as if he was in pain and Addison wondered if he'd taken the aspirin she'd put out for him.

"Uh, Addison?" Derek called, taking a tentative step into the kitchen, his confusion clear. "Why is Mark cooking in our kitchen without a shirt on?" he asked, heading for the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of water. As he opened it he looked between Addison and Mark curiously.

But instead of Addison answering, Mark turned around with a playful grin. "I'm giving her a show," Mark quipped easily, throwing a teasing wink at Addison. She turned her face away, shaking her head at his wink and his words. It probably wouldn't be good if Derek saw her blushing at a shirtless Mark.

Derek rolled his eyes, moving across the kitchen to sit at the kitchen table. "I'm sure she appreciates it," he replied sardonically. "But _really_ -"

"There was a storm last night. Addie offered up your guest room. Honestly, Derek. _Relax_ ," Mark told him, already anticipating what Derek was trying to ask. He took the last few strips of bacon off the pan and placed them onto the plate, bringing them over to the table and putting them in the centre. "Addie made the pancakes, I was just trying to help," he told his friend, shrugging as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Fortunately, Derek's slight hangover prevented him from asking anymore questions as his stomach rumbled loudly. Addison sighed, grabbing the stack of pancakes now that Mark was out of the way and brought them over to the table before sliding into the seat right between Derek and Mark.

"Thanks honey," Derek said, grinning over at her as he grabbed a couple of pancakes.

"Yeah, thanks Red," Mark said straight after, smirking at her as he reached for one of the burnt pieces of bacon that she'd been cooking earlier.

Addison simply smiled at them, eyes flitting between them both, over the edge of the glass of orange juice she was drinking.

The three ate their breakfast in relative silence, though it wasn't awkward. They'd shared meals together for so many years it felt rather natural now; even if it had been a while since it had been the three of them. Just as they were finishing, Addison's phone buzzed, startling her. She'd forgotten she'd brought it down with her, along with her pager. Getting up she flipped it open, not surprised to see it was from Nancy; she chuckled at the message before replying. Eyes focused on her phone, she missed the frown on Derek's face as he watched her intently but Mark didn't.

"Who was that?" Derek asked suddenly, sounding a little too gruff as he looked at Addison.

"Oh, Nancy. She wanted to remind us of her birthday dinner next week," Addison told him, setting her phone back down. Nancy had wanted her to remind _Derek_ of the birthday dinner, but Addison knew better then just to outright say that to her husband. Addison's gaze turned towards Mark then too, pointing a figure in his direction playfully. "She wants _you_ there too. So, don't you go forgetting either," Addison told him sternly, wondering when she became responsible for Mark also.

"I'd never! Scout's honor," Mark said playfully, grinning as he held his hand up in the Scout's salute. Both Addison and Derek snorted at that.

"You were never in the scout's," Derek mumbled, shaking his head at his best friend.

" _Anyway_ , 7pm next Saturday. Put it in your schedules," Addison insisted as she started to clean up the kitchen table.

Mark stood abruptly then, checking the time on his watch and grinning at both his friends. "Alright. Thanks for breakfast Addie and the guest room. But I better get going, got things to do today," he announced, heading slowly for the kitchen door.

"Be good Mark," Addison told him lightly, giving him a playful smile as he disappeared out the door and presumably up the stairs to get changed.

Addison was putting things away when she finally looked up at Derek, who was still sitting at the kitchen table, looking a little less peaky then he had when he'd appeared. No doubt the food had helped and he didn't seem to be in a rush to go anywhere, which surprised Addison. Her anger over the night before had slowly dissipated and she was hoping they could have a good Saturday instead.

"So, I was thinking maybe this afternoon we could go shopping? For Nancy's birthday gift," Addison suggested lightly, hopefully, depositing the pans into the sink. She'd get to them later.

She frowned however when she saw the grimace on Derek's face however.

"Actually, Addie, I was going to go check in on a patient this afternoon. I did their surgery-"

"Derek, you're hungover. Can't that wait till your shift tomorrow? Aren't there residents that can handle it?" Addison asked, interrupting him, trying her hardest to keep her voice level. She didn't want to have a whole argument about it but she didn't understand why he couldn't even take a day off. Unless it was _her_ he didn't want to be around. "Or is it just _me_ you don't want to spend time with?" she snapped, knowing it was irrational but unable to help herself. It made perfect sense in her mind, after all, it was clear he avoided coming home to her; so it had to be _her_ that was the problem.

" _God_ , Addison, that's not what I said!" Derek snapped back at her, the both of them forgetting that Mark was still in their home. "I'm just trying to _do my job_. You know what that's like. And maybe if you didn't act like such a bitch, I _would_ come home more," Derek hissed, glaring at her. They'd been having such a good morning and then she'd had to go and ruin it.

"Oh, _fuck you_ Derek," Addison spat, the empty glass that had been in her hand, shattering against the tile of the kitchen floor angrily.

Addison turned instantly, heading out of the kitchen; snatching up her phone, pager and keys as she did so. She was fuming as she stormed out, angry at Derek for ruining what had been a rather nice morning. The name-calling in their arguments were a fairly recent development and though she'd asked him not to do it, he had continued to do so.

She was slipping on her shoes by the front door when Mark came ambling down the stairs, grinning happily. Clearly their fight hadn't carried up to the second level of their home. She was thankful for that at least, Mark was already overly involved in their relationship at times.

"Everything okay Red?" he asked, seeing the tense set of her shoulders and the anger clear on her face.

"Do you have actual plans for the day?" Addison asked, completely ignoring his question as she stood up straight, eyes locking with his.

Mark shrugged, shaking his head. "Nah."

"Want to show me the batting cages?" she asked then, wanting to get some of her aggression out in a way that didn't have her throwing shoes or smashing glasses.

Mark frowned, glancing back towards the kitchen, where he could hear Derek moving around cautiously. "Sure. Is everything okay?" He asked once again, as Addison pulled the front door open, waiting for him to exit.

"Just fine. I'll buy you lunch," Addison told him, changing the subject as he stepped out. Addison followed him then, slamming the door shut behind her. The moment they descended the steps, she felt as if she could breathe.

"Alright, Addie. I'm letting you kidnap me for the day. What's going on?" Mark asked, as they started walking in the direction of his apartment. He needed a change of clothes.

Addison shook her head, sighing as she glanced over at the man. "I just...I needed to get out for the day. And really, if you do have plans already, you don't have to keep me company Mark," Addison told him softly.

Mark shook his head though, able to read between the lines of what she'd said. He slung an arm casually over her shoulders, pulling her into his side as he spoke. "Nah, no other plans. I promise, Red, I wouldn't want to spend the day with anyone else," he told her sincerely. Addison and Mark simply smiled at each other as they walked.


	5. butterflies they come alive when i'm next to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was another chapter that I hadn't originally planned to write but just flowed out of me. It's basically a date that's absolutely not being called a date. DarlingWrecks gave me the idea and...I just sort've ran with it. Haha. 
> 
> Also, I just want to say that I'm not American and have next to no knowledge of baseball or batting cages. I only ever played a bit of softball as a kid, haha. So if anything is off, please forgive me. 
> 
> The chapter title comes from the song 'This Town' by Niall Horan. I hope you enjoy! Please review. :) LT.

**part five**

**butterflies they come alive when i'm next to you**

**..**

Mark had thought that by the time they had walked to his apartment and he'd showered and changed, Addison would have cooled down a little. But as he stepped out of his bedroom he could see Addison waiting on him almost impatiently; he was sure that if she had less decorum, she'd have been tapping her foot.

"Are you sure you want to go to the batting cages?" Mark asked, as a way to announce his presence to the woman. But even before she answered, he could see the answer clear on her face - apparently she still needed an outlet - and Mark figured he may as well give her one.

"Yes," Addison stated plainly, brows furrowed and body tensed as she stood up. "I know it's not my, you know, usual way of relaxing but, I just need to do something different. You know?" she continued, fidgeting with the rings on her fingers, hands pressing together tightly.

Mark nodded, grinning at her. He wanted to ask what had happened in the short few minutes he'd been upstairs at the brownstone getting changed but knew it really wasn't any of his business. Addison and Derek may have been his best friends but he tried his hardest not to get involved in their disputes and arguments. It didn't help though that the pair liked to, at times, put him in the middle.

"Sure. You must really be wanting something different if _you're_ suggesting something baseball related though," Mark replied with a laugh, giving her an easy grin. He wouldn't ask but if Addison offered up information, that was up to her. Though they both knew she wouldn't offer anything up so easily, she was much more aware of the boundaries of friendship with Mark then Derek was.

Addison chuckled a little drily at his words, giving him a shy smile. Mark made his way to the closet by the door and pulled out an old looking wooden baseball bat, holding it deftly in his capable hands.

"Yeah well, they say hitting things can be a good release," Addison joked with a shrug of her shoulders. Immediately, she shakes her head at Mark, a mischievous grin on his face. "Don't even _try_ to make a dirty joke right now. How old are you?" She teased, sighing playfully.

Mark continued to grin but said nothing and instead lead the way to the front door. Addison followed and as they made their way out of his apartment building and towards the batting cages, she couldn't help but feel a comfortableness settle over them. She was still slightly agitated from her argument with Derek but slowly she could feel the anger draining away; it surprised her, how much being around Mark could effect her mood so easily.

It didn't take long for them to get to the batting cages and Addison frowned a little as she looked at the set up and realising she really didn't know much about baseball at all. Thankfully Mark could see her confusion and as they made their way into one of the cages, he helped set her up.

"Alright, I put it on the lowest setting for you," Mark told her easily, pointing towards the ball machine and directing her towards the fake home plate. "Now, stand here and watch for the ball. Then just...swing and hit," Mark said with a slight shrug as he moved towards the door of the cage and out of the way.

He stood, arms crossed, watching as the first ball shot out towards her and Addison swung, missing the ball completely. He grinned a little, trying not to chuckle as the ball hit the back of the cage, bouncing to the ground. Addison huffed, glancing at the ball before bringing the bat up again, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip in concentration. The next ball came and this time she swung eagerly, her whole body turning forward and the bat almost falling from her usually deft hands.

"Okay, okay. Calm down there _slugger_ ," Mark teased, actually chuckling this time as the second ball bounced against the back of the cage. "You've really never hit a ball before have you?" he asked lightly, smiling at Addison as he made his way over to her.

"I was a _band geek_ Mark. Sports were definitely not my thing," Addison huffed, turning to look at him as he moved closer, brows furrowing a little as he positioned himself behind her. She turned her head to look at him in confusion, as a third ball zoomed past them and hit the chainlink like the previous two had. At least this time, Addison hadn't embarrassed herself with a ridiculous swing. She was however, very aware of how close Mark's body was to hers. "Uh, what are you doing?" she asked, lips pressed together as her mind flashed-back to that morning of him shirtless, in her kitchen.

"I can tell," he teased, smiling widely. "And you're not positioned right. I'm helping. So you can, you know, actually get the ball and bat to connect," Mark continued lightly, letting his hands drift to her arms. "Widen your stance and bring your arm up," he instructed, tapping at her elbow to lift it into a more perpendicular position. And then he's pressing closer, his arms wrapping around her body, his hands settling on hers over the baseball bat. "Hold it like this," he whispered, hot breath tickling her cheek as he shifted their hands on the bat. "This next ball, just follow my lead, alright?"

All Addison could do was nod as she tried not to think too much about how his chest was pressed against her back so comfortably or why her heart had started beating so fast.

The next ball came then and Addison followed Mark's lead as he guided the bat and their bodies into the proper movements. Bat and ball connected and the resounding crack sent a thrill through Addison as she watched the ball go flying back in the direction it had come from. She smiled widely, almost giddy over the fact she'd actually managed to hit the ball this time.

"I did it!" she exclaimed happily, head twisting a little to try and look back at Mark. Her smile widening as she saw the happy grin Mark wore.

"Yeah, you did. Good job," Mark told her happily. He stayed in his position though, guiding her arms and hands back into the right places. "One more swing and then you should be good," he said, letting his body fit around hers in a way that he knew wasn't strictly friendly but for the moment, she didn't seem to mind. "Alright, focus on the ball," he murmured against her ear just as the next ball came barrelling at them.

This time he let Addison lead as they swung the bat. He grinned wide as they hit the ball, bodies turning in unison for the follow through. Mark tried not to think about how good it felt to be so close to Addison, their bodies pressed up together so closely; but he couldn't deny, at least to himself, that was growing more and more attracted to Addison. But he shook his head slightly, he couldn't think like that, not when she was his best friend's wife.

After a moment Mark pulled back, dropping his hands from hers and finally putting some space between their bodies. "Seems like you've got the hang of it, Red," Mark told her, running a hand through his slightly curled hair. He hadn't had the time to gel it after his shower earlier, too intent on getting back to Addison.

"Are you sure?" She asked, her eyes wide and bottom lip captured between her teeth as she looked up at him.

"Yeah, yeah you're good," Mark insisted, moving towards the door of the cage once again. "Just remember what I told you Red,' he continued, nodding towards the ball machine as it got ready to shoot out another ball.

"Okay," Addison nodded, looking a little nervous as she turned back towards the ball machine. Mark watched as she brought the bat up, held it steady and then swung. It wasn't the best hit he'd ever seen but he grinned anyway. His smile only widening when Addison turned towards him, smiling brilliantly with happiness. "I did it!" she exclaimed almost giddily.

Mark just chuckled at her, thinking how cute she was being so excited about hitting the ball. It felt like it had been a long time since he'd seen her so happy and carefree. He liked seeing her like this.

"You'll be hitting in the major leagues in no time," Mark encouraged, chuckling a little as he heard her laugh.

Addison had a few more swings before deciding to let Mark take a turn. Leaning against the cage, she was impressed by just how well Mark was hitting the ball. She watched Mark eagerly; the way he positioned himself, the way his body moved as he swung, the way his muscles rippled with each movement he made. She'd never noticed before just how in shape Mark was and had to wonder where he found the time. It was impressive, really.

"You're very good at that," Addison called out to him, trying to be as encouraging and supportive as he'd been of her. It seemed only fair. "Oh, I forgot you used to play in college, didn't you?" Addison asked after a moment, suddenly remembering him mentioning it _years_ ago.

Mark laughed, turning to grin at her as he heard her words. "Damn right I did, Red. One of the best. Could've gone pro," Mark bragged, throwing a playful wink her way. Addison giggled and Mark grinned as he turned back to face the other end of the cage. He'd made her laugh and he'd made her happy and he never would have guessed how good that would make him feel.

"Oh, I'm sure you could have. I can just imagine you in those little baseball pants right now," Addison teased, tone closer to flirty than she'd intended. But even as she said the words, the image of him in those tight little pants flashed through her mind, sending a blush to her cheeks. It wasn't hard to imagine that he'd look very, _very_ good in them.

Mark hit the last ball with ease before turning back around to Addison with a cocky smirk. "If you want to see me in them all you have to do is _ask_ , Red," Mark said, voice dropping an octave as he made his way out of the cage. He threw a flirty wink her way before he could stop himself, the banter they'd fallen into coming so easily to him. But he knew he couldn't take it any further, despite the fact that Addison looked rather pretty when she blushed.

"Uh, you all done in there? You looked like you were having fun," Addison asked, leaning back against the cage, looking up at Mark almost coyly. She knew she was still blushing she just hoped that Mark put it down to the physical exercise and the warmth of the spring day and not the mental images she'd conjured up of him.

Mark grinned, tucking the bat up under his arm as he took the slightest step closer to her. "Had so much fun I'm hungry now. If I remember correctly, _someone_ offered to buy me lunch…" he said jovially, grinning at her easily.

Addison laughed a little but nodded, smiling wider. "I did say that, didn't I? Come on then," Addison said, pushing away from the cage and heading for the exist. Mark was right beside her, bumping her shoulder playfully. "What're you in the mood for?"

"Hm," Mark hummed, pretending to think hard as they made their way out onto the street. "What about a hotdog?" he suggested, spying a hotdog cart up ahead of them on the sidewalk.

"A hotdog it is then. You can be such a child," Addison teased, smirking over at him as they walked together.

**..**

By the time they got to Mark's apartment building, their hotdogs were long gone and Mark was swinging the baseball bat playfully by his side.

"You know, when I was like...19, the first spring break home from college I had this boyfriend I brought home from college. He was a bit of a dick. But I was newly out of braces and uh, growing into my body and, _anyway_. We were home for spring break and we were out on the patio, by the pool and he was very insistent, not taking no for answer, you know? And then Archie just pops up out of nowhere, swinging a baseball bat. I don't even know where he got it from. Apparently he'd been watching us," Addison told Mark, chuckling a little at the memory as they made their way up to Mark's apartment. She was enjoying spending time with Mark and didn't want to leave him just yet.

One of Mark's eyebrows rose at the story, a concerned expression settled on his face. "Addison…"

But Addison waved his concern away, grinning up at him. "It wasn't anything particularly traumatising. And Archie was a little drunk. But really, all that was to say that, Archer's actually got a pretty good swing. I was _trying_ to emulate that earlier but I guess swinging a bat at an idiot teenage boy isn't exactly the same as trying to hit a ball. Though the same outcome happened," Addison chuckled a little, shaking her head as they stepped into the elevator from the lobby of his apartment building.

"I knew I got along with Archer for a reason," Mark said, still frowning a little at her story. She was laughing it off but it didn't sit well with him that someone had tried to take advantage of a teenage Addison. Even if the point of the story was about a baseball bat.

"Yes, I'm sure that's the _only_ reason you and Archer get along," Addison deadpanned, rolling her eyes at the thought of Mark and Archer's competitive friendship. She sighed then, leaning back against the elevator wall, watching Mark curiously. She'd had such a good time with him so far today and she didn't want that to stop just yet.

Mark stood by her side, looking at her curiously. "So...you feeling better?" he asked, glad to see she wasn't as agitated as she had been earlier that morning. He still didn't know what she and Derek had argued about; he was just glad that she was finally relaxing and having fun.

Addison sighed. "Yes. It felt good to uh, do something different. I had fun today Mark, _thank you_. You didn't have to, you know, hang out with me. I know you probably had better things to do," Addison said as the elevator pinged and they finally arrived at Mark's floor. She followed him out of it and towards his door. She was having fun and relaxing and she didn't want the day with Mark to end just yet.

"I told you before Red. I didn't have anything else to do today and you're not the worst person to spend time with. I had fun too," Mark told her earnestly, grinning widely at her as he unlocked and opened his apartment door. "So, you coming in?" Mark asked, opening the door wider for her. "Or do you have to get back?"

Addison bit her lip, shaking her head as she stepped into Mark's apartment. "No, I don't have to get back. I was just going to to go shopping for Nancy's birthday gift. But-" she shrugged at the words, wandering further into his apartment as he closed the door behind her.

"Oh, what are you getting her?" Mark asked, tossing the bat into the hallway closet that it usually resided in. He watched Addison as she moved to sit down on his couch and he made his way over to sit with her.

"I was thinking jewellery. There were some really nice bracelets I saw the other day but I didn't have time to stop and really look," Addison sighed, thinking of the jewellery shop she'd passed on her way back to work a few days ago. She'd gone in briefly on her lunch break but then she'd been paged and had had to rush out before she could properly examine the few pieces she thought Nancy might like. She _had_ wanted to get Derek's opinion, after all Nancy was his sister but clearly he wasn't interested.

"I don't know much about jewellery but I'm sure she'd like something like that," Mark chuckled, giving her shrug as he relaxed back on the cushions. "Plus, you've got good taste Addie."

"You think?" Addison asked, teeth worrying her bottom lip as she glanced over at him. It wasn't often she and Mark hung out like this but over the last year it had been happening more. Addison was surprised by how _comfortable_ she felt with him and just sitting around in his apartment.

"Of course, Addison," Mark nodded, grinning over at her. He shrugged then as a thought occurred to him. "We could go now, if you want? I know this is your only day off this week," Mark suggested lightly. Jewellery shopping was not his idea of a good time but it seemed important to Addison.

She shook her head though, brows furrowing a little. "Oh, Mark. I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking Red. I _offered_. Besides, I've known Nancy for 30 years. I can help. Or...at least _try_ to help," he told her firmly, grinning at her as he moved to stand up. He held a hand out to her as he stood in front of her, grinning cheesily. "Come on, it'll be fun."

Addison bit her lip as she looked up at him but he looked so eager to please she found herself nodding. She took his hand and let him pull her up, so that they were standing almost chest to chest. "Are you sure?" she asked softly, wondering where Mark's apparent generosity had come from.

"Yes Addison. I'll even carry your bags," he told her teasingly and Addison simply nodded.

"Alright. Come on then," she said with a smile, nodding towards the door. She hadn't expected to go jewellery shopping with Mark but she couldn't find it in her to say no to him. Not when he was looking at her so sweetly and earnestly.

Mark grinned and started for the door, Addison following him with a grin. As they made their way down in the elevator and out of his apartment building, Addison felt a level of comfort with Mark that she'd never experienced before. She grabbed his hand as she pulled him along in the direction of the jewellery store she wanted to check out, not dropping his hand as they walked. Mark was surprised by the gesture and a little hesitant but seeing that Addison wasn't bothered by it, he shrugged it off, letting her lead for the rest of their afternoon.

**..**

It was early evening when Addison eventually got home. Her day with Mark had been much more fun then she'd expected and she realised she rather liked hanging out with him, just the two of them. She'd laughed with Mark more that day then she had in a long time.

Pushing open the door of the brownstone, Addison hesitated, unsure if Derek was there or not. She didn't want to have another argument with him but disappearing for the day probably hadn't been the most mature of reactions. She kicked off her shoes and tossed her things down on a side table, a small jewellery bag in her hand that contained Nancy's birthday gift. Mark had been surprisingly helpful in the store - she should've known a plastic surgeon would have an eye for details and beauty.

"Addison?" Derek called out, coming down the stairs. He must've heard the front door closing.

"Hey," Addison greeted him, giving him a shy smile as she leant against the stair railing. She felt awkward and unsure of what to say to her husband.

"Did you have a good day?" Derek asked coldly, glaring a little as he stopped on the last step. Clearly, he was still annoyed by their argument that morning and Addison sighed. She'd hoped he'd have calmed down a little but she shouldn't have been surprised he hadn't. Derek could hold a grudge, she knew that.

"I did actually. I just needed some space, Derek," Addison told him softly, frowning as he simply sighed, shaking his head. "It got a little out of hand this morning," she admitted, knowing she'd escalated the argument that morning.

Derek scoffed. "Yes, it did. But at least _I_ didn't go smashing any of our glasses," Derek sniped pettily as he moved passed her and towards the living room couch.

"I'm sorry, okay? I know that was out of line," Addison insisted and she did know that her behavior that morning hadn't been okay. But sometimes it felt like the only way to get Derek to acknowledge her was to make a fuss or a mess; throwing the glass had been childish but had felt necessary in the moment.

"Okay Addison," Derek said simply, barely acknowledging her presence now as he picked up a medical journal and turning his back to her.

Addison sighed, rolling her eyes as she headed for the kitchen. She couldn't deal with Derek's pettiness and she found she needed a glass of wine. She stepped into the kitchen, setting the jewellery bag on the counter but stopped when she saw the mess of glass that still resided on the kitchen floor. Derek had left it for her to clean up and though she knew it was a mess of her own making, she couldn't help but be annoyed with Derek as she reached carefully for a dustpan and brush.

Sweeping up the broken pieces of glass, Addison sighed, wondering when being in her own home had started to feel so suffocating.


	6. staring at me all the way from across the room and you deny yourself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is significantly longer then my others, so I hope that makes up for the long wait. It got so long that I contemplated dividing the chapter into two but there just wasn't any cut off point that felt natural to make it into two chapters. So, there's this long monstrosity instead. Also, the vibe of this chapter is just _messy_ \- things are starting to get messy. Including my original 10 chapter outline, so I'm thinking this first part will be about 14/15 chapters overall. 
> 
> On another note, I haven't forgotten about _(Don't) Kill Your Darlings_. I am working on the next chapter but I'm having some trouble with it. The next chapter is meant to be a transitional, set up chapter for the rest of the story and I just do not like how it's coming out. There's been a lot of revision and rewriting happening for that chapter but I promise it _is_ coming. 
> 
> I had three different titles in mind for this chapter all from the same song and I ended up combining two of them. So, the chapter title comes from the song _Fruit_ by ABRA. It's one of my favourite songs and y'all should check it out.

**part six**

**staring at me all the way from across the room**

**and you deny yourself**

**..**

The past week in the Shepherd household had passed in mostly tense silences and Derek wasn't sure what to do about it. Their argument from the Saturday before had apparently put a strain on their relationship which surprised Derek because while it had been bad, it certainly wasn't the worst argument they'd ever had. He'd wanted to try and fix things but it had disheartened him to realise that Addison was seemingly taking a page out of his book and had been avoiding coming home for the week.

It was Saturday now though and they had Nancy's birthday dinner to go to. Derek had made sure to get the night off, although he'd still have his pager on him. It was like an extra limb at this point and Derek wasn't sure of the last time he'd gone somewhere without it.

Making his way into their bedroom, Derek wasn't surprised to find Addison getting ready in their attached bathroom, swiping mascara delicately onto her lashes. Despite the tension between them at the moment he couldn't deny that his wife was beautiful. She was in a black dress, no doubt designer, that cinched at the waist and showed a pleasingly suggestive amount of cleavage. Her hair had been flat ironed straight instead of the usual curls she'd been wearing lately. As she did her make up, Derek wasn't surprised to see the almost empty glass of wine beside her on the counter and silently hoped the wine had loosened her up a little.

"You look beautiful Ads," Derek told her softly, as he leant against the threshold of the bathroom. His heart sank a little as he saw the surprise on Addison's face reflected back to him from the mirror. He watched as she turned slowly, a shy smile on her features as she looked at him and it concerned Derek a little to realise that he couldn't quite read Addison anymore.

"You think so?" Addison asked softly, a hand coming up to tuck a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.

Derek nodded, smiling as he took a step forward into the bathroom. "Absolutely," he told her, settling a hand on her waist and leaning in to give her a quick kiss to her cheek. He pulled back then, giving her a warm smile. "I'm just going to change my shirt. Okay?" he said, moving out of the bathroom as he began unbuttoning the dress shirt he'd worn to work. He'd showered at the hospital but knew it'd be better to get dressed for Nancy's dinner at home.

Ten minutes later and they were both ready to leave. "Can you grab Nancy's present please Derek?" Addison called to him, pointing towards the small gift bag set on the end table, as she slipped on her heels. "I signed your name on the card, don't worry," Addison told him lightly. When she'd written it, she'd thought about being petty and simply signing her own name, after all Derek hadn't helped her pick out the gift at all. But Nancy was Derek's sister and she couldn't quite bring herself to advertise just how bad their relationship had gotten lately; leaving his name off the card would've been sure to raise a few eyebrows and Addison didn't want that kind of attention from the Shepherd sisters.

"Thank you," Derek said, picking up the gift bag, knowing that if it had been left up to him, he'd have no doubt forgotten to even get his sister a gift.

And then they were out the door and into a taxi, sitting on opposite sides of the backseat. The taxi ride was quiet as they made their way through Manhattan towards the restaurant that had been booked for Nancy's dinner. It was quiet and tense and again, Derek was unsure how to break the silence and engage his wife in some kind of conversation. In fact, Derek was realising that he didn't know how to reach out and engage his wife anymore and worst of all, he wasn't quite sure he knew what to do about it. Or whether he wanted to do anything about it at all.

Glancing over at Addison, Derek frowned. She was holding herself in her own space, making herself small, turning away from him. Besides giving the restaurant name and address, she hadn't said a word since they'd gotten into the cab and Derek _wanted_ to talk to his wife but he was lost for words. A part of him feared that she'd brush him off and reject him; while the other part tried to ignore the fact that he couldn't find anything to talk to his wife about.

Finally, the taxi pulled up a little ways down from the restaurant and Derek had never been more glad to get out of a taxi and into the night air of New York City. He paid the driver and then slipped out of his door, holding it open so Addison could follow him out. He held his hand out, to help her out of the taxi and tried not to huff in annoyance when she deliberately didn't take his hand, stepping easily onto the sidewalk by herself instead.

Derek sighed when he realised that the heels Addison was wearing put her a few inches taller then him. He tried not to get annoyed by it but he also knew that it was one of her passive aggressive tactics. Still he put on a smile, reaching for her hand as they walked the short distance down the sidewalk towards the restaurant. He hid a grimace when his hand met air, Addison having shifted the gift bag into the hand he was reaching for. It annoyed him that she was being so passive aggressive, he wanted to have a good night with _his_ family.

As soon as he spotted Nancy, Kathleen and their husband's though, Derek grinned wider. As much as he complained about his sisters, he did love them and he missed them, it had been a while since he'd seen them. He took a quick glance at Addison beside him, noting that she was grinning delightedly, in a way he hadn't seen in a long while. He wondered when it had become harder for him to tell the fake smiles from the genuine ones.

"Nancy! Happy Birthday," Derek greeted, once they were close enough and his sisters had finally spotted them. He stepped in, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before moving back and doing the same with Kathleen. He could see Addison doing the same with his sisters out of the corner of his eye as he greeted his brother's in law. "Who else are we waiting on?" Derek asked curiously, as he stepped back and the group stood in a sort of circle, huddled together in the front of the restaurant.

"Mom, Lizzie and James. And a few others. Amy wasn't able to make it," Nancy answered with a smile, looking around them to see if she could spot anyone else that was supposed to be coming. His sister's gaze landed on Addison then. "You did tell Mark he was invited, didn't you?" Nancy asked his wife and Derek frowned when Addison answered.

"Yes, Nance. He said he's running late but who knows if he'll actually turn up," Addison said with a slight laugh and a grin. Derek wondered when Addison had even talked to Mark in the last half an hour.

The conversation was interrupted then when his mother, sister and other brother in law finally arrived. Eventually a few of Nancy's friends got there and they decided to head in, Derek glad for the excuse to actually touch his wife, a hand on the small of her back guiding her into the restaurant. They were on the tail end of the group when Mark finally decided to show up just in time for the party to be seated, grinning charmingly at the gaggle of Shepherd women and their men.

"Happy birthday Nancy-pants," Mark teased, giving her a hug and kissing her on the cheek just as Derek had done earlier. Mark turned his attention towards Carolyn Shepherd then, doing the same with her. After he'd greeted all of Derek's sisters in the same manner and threw a few flirty winks and charming smiles at Nancy's friends, he eventually sat down across from Derek and Addison.

"What? No hello for me?" Addison asked, a smirk on her lips and an eyebrow raised as she looked at Mark. It was clear she was teasing but Mark knew that and grinned. He hadn't seen much of Addison since their day together last Saturday; which was probably a good thing because he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her.

"Hello Red. You look beautiful tonight, as always," Mark told her softly, leaning forward a little across the table and giving her a soft smile that wasn't quite as charming as his usual ones.

Addison smiled genuinely at the compliment, her eyes meeting his for a moment before she reached for her glass of wine and took a healthy sip. At his simple words, it felt almost as if her cheeks were on fire and she couldn't believe how easily she was blushing in Mark's presence lately. It seemed a few simple words and a smile from Mark was enough to send her heart into a dangerous flutter.

**..**

Dinner went rather smooth after that, the Shepherd siblings and their partners getting livelier as the dinner progressed. Addison had indeed loosened up and by the time dinner was being served, she was chatting animatedly with Derek's sisters happily. She'd handed over the gift and Derek had watched with curiosity as Nancy opened it; it was easy to see that she quite liked the piece of jewellery and Derek was glad.

"I'm glad you like it Nancy," Addison enthused, smiling widely at the other woman. "I wasn't sure if you would or not," Addison continued, a hand around her wine glass as she brought it up to her lips. She wasn't sure how many wines she'd had so far and as Nancy stood up and came over to give her and Derek a quick hug, she realised she was very much tipsy.

"Hey! Where's my hug?" Mark asked, sounding playfully offended. He was grinning as three Shepherd's looked towards him. "I helped Addie pick it out," Mark teased, throwing a playful wink at Addison, who giggled a little, rolling her eyes.

"Did you now?" Nancy asked, grinning over at Mark, an eyebrow raised as she glanced between the pair. "Well, I guess that deserves a thank you hug too," she acquiesced, moving around the table to give Mark a quick hug. Derek however, frowned at that new piece of information; when had Mark and Addison possibly gone jewellery shopping for his sister?

He was about to ask that exact question when a pager beeped loudly around the dinner table. Several hands moved to coats and bags and Derek would have laughed at the scene, if it hadn't been _his_ pager that had gone off. He checked it quickly and sighed.

He lifted it up sheepishly as he spoke. "It's mine," he announced to the other doctors at the table, moving a little to stand up and gather his coat. He'd only had one scotch and there was still half a steak on his plate. "A patient I operated on today. It's important," Derek told the table.

"What a surprise," Addison murmured under her breath, though Derek was close enough to hear the words. She could handle her alcohol but she'd had quite a lot of it already and it'd lowered her inhibitions somewhat, loosening her tongue. She'd never normally make a scene in public, let alone in front of their family.

"Addison…"

But she shook her head, looking up at him with a fake smile. "Just go Derek. Your patients important," she insisted, knowing that the rest of the Shepherd's and Mark were watching them now. She could already feel the blush rising to her cheeks, embarrassed by the whole thing.

Derek just looked at her for a moment before leaning in to kiss her cheek, murmuring a goodbye against her ear. Addison gave him a tight smile, reaching for her glass of wine and sipping at it to cover her grimace. She watched as Derek said a quick goodbye to his sisters and mother before leaving the restaurant.

She kept her eyes on her food, though she was nowhere near as hungry as she had been before. She felt silly for getting so annoyed about Derek having to leave and making a scene; she was a surgeon, she knew what it was like. She'd been around doctors and surgeons for her entire life, she knew what being a surgeon's wife entailed - she had just thought that being a surgeon herself would somehow ease the emotional toll it took. It did not.

"Hey, Red, you okay?" Mark asked quietly, once the attention had diverted back to others at the table. He leant forward across the table, head dipping a little to catch her eye and just barely restraining himself from reaching a hand out to touch hers in a comforting gesture.

"Yeah," Addison sighed, finally looking up from her wine glass and giving him a little smile. "I'm fine. I promise Mark," Addison insisted, seeing the slight look of disbelief on Mark's face at her words. She wondered, vaguely, when he'd become so easy to read. Or maybe, she realised, they'd just had this conversation before, many times.

She tried not to think about it as she turned her attention back to the Shepherd sisters. The dinner passed quickly and then Nancy suggested going to a bar, to keep the night going. Addison wasn't usually one to go out often but that night, she just didn't want to go home to an empty house. The men agreed and even Mark decided to tag along; so once the group had put Carolyn Shepherd, claiming she was too old for a bar, into a taxi safely home, they ventured to a bar not far from the restaurant.

It was crowded and busy and without meaning to, the group began to pair off. Mark stuck close to Addison, having noticed she'd drunk more then she'd eaten during the course of the night. She was well and truly drunk by the time they got to the bar and he didn't need the fact she'd stumbled on air a block back to confirm it for him. Mark had known the redhead since they were in med school and he knew she could hold her alcohol - so the fact she was so drunk definitely concerned him. He'd decided to stay sober for the rest of the evening. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to Addison in the state she was in.

They'd only been in the bar 15 minutes when he felt Addison lean up against him. She had a drink that looked like something stronger than wine cradled in her hand, sipping it slowly and Mark chose not to chastise her for mixing her drinks. At this point he didn't think it'd really matter what kind of alcohol she was drinking.

"I'm glad you're here Mark," Addison told him drunkenly, turning her face up to grin at him as she sipped her drink. "You're good. Want to dance?" She asked, her gaze turning outwards to where Kathleen and her husband were dancing as well as another couple Nancy knew that had come along with them.

Mark chuckled at her words as he looked down at her. "I don't know, Red. You even capable of dancing right now?" He asked lightly, grinning at her mock offended pout.

" _Yes_ ," she insisted, fluttering her eyelashes as she put her drink down and slowly stood up. Mark could tell she was concentrating hard on keeping her balance. Her hands enclosed around his own, tugging on his wrist. "Come on. I know you want to dance with me," she continued, voice lilting almost flirtatiously.

Mark sighed playfully but stood up, keeping his hand in hers as they made their way to the dance floor. Mark really wasn't one to dance often, in fact he really didn't like it all that much. But he didn't want Addison dancing on her own. He was careful to keep his hands in friendly, _appropriate_ places as they danced, very aware that Nancy, Kathleen and Lizzie were all with them. He loved the Shepherd women like they were his sisters but he knew what they'd think and how things could be misconstrued when alcohol was involved. He didn't want to give them the impression of anything untoward going on; especially since Addison didn't seem to care in her drunken state.

The music changed to something a little slower, Addison pressing herself closer to him. Her arms went around his waist, as if giving him a big bear hug and Mark shook his head at the redhead. It had been a long time since he'd seen her this drunk. He settled his hands on her shoulders, keeping her upright as they slightly swayed to the music. Mark enjoyed being so close to Addison and then cursed himself for thinking and feeling like that. If she hadn't been drunk, he'd have relished in being so close to her. "Let's go sit down, Red and get you some water," he murmured against her ear once the song was done.

Addison pulled back, brows furrowed as she looked up at Mark. She opened her mouth to argue with the other doctor but he shook his head. "Nope. You need to sit down and sober up a little. Come on, what kind of best friend would I be if I let you get stupid drunk?" Mark told her, turning her and guiding her back towards the table and stools the Shepherd's had commandeered.

"Thank you Mark," Addison sighed drunkenly once they'd finally sat back down. She was slightly embarrassed that her sisters-in-law were seeing her so drunk. She'd always been so put together, if slightly goofy, around them and now they'd seen her at her drunken worst. She shook her head, leaning closer to Nancy, or maybe Liz she wasn't quite sure, as she spoke. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get drunk on your birthday," she insisted sadly. Her mood had quickly shifted from bubbly drunk to sad drunk.

Liz smiled gently, patting Addison's hand comfortingly. "It's okay Addie," she told her, sighing a little at the state her sister-in-law was in. She didn't know the exact state of her brothers' marriage but she couldn't imagine it was good if the state his wife was in, in public, was any indication. For as long as she'd known Addison Montgomery, she'd always been poised and proper - if a little clumsy - and nothing like the woman Liz was looking at currently. It was, quite honestly, a little sad.

"Maybe you should take her home, Mark," Liz suggested to the younger man. Besides Mark, she was the least intoxicated and knew it was probably a good idea for Addison to call it a night. Mark nodded in agreement, gently catching Addison's attention.

"I think it's time to go home Red," Mark said softly, picking up her coat and helping her into it.

"Okay," Addison nodded. She was still drunk but she wasn't much in the party mood anymore.

Mark and Addison said their goodbyes, before he carefully guided her out of the bar. He had an arm around her waist, keeping her close as he walked them down the street a little. He figured it'd probably be good for Addison to get some air before they attempted to get into a cab; he didn't really want to pay for cleaning fees. Ten minutes later, when Addison looked less likely to throw up in the backseat of a taxi, he finally ushered her into one. Mark gave the driver the address to the brownstone as Addison pressed herself against his side, her head moving to rest on his shoulder, a sense of déjà vu washing over him. He ignored it though, simply settling an arm around her and holding her close as they made the journey quietly through the City; so quietly in fact that Mark thought she may have actually fallen asleep.

The taxi finally came to a stop outside of Addison and Derek's brownstone, jolting them back to alertness. Mark paid the driver and then helped Addison out, wondering how she could possibly still be walking in those high heels of hers when she was so drunk. He's sure that if he was a woman, he'd have kicked them off by now and be walking barefoot, like he's seen some young women do when they're making their way home after a night out. But apparently Addison is classier than that, even when drunk and stumbling slowly up her own front steps.

As Mark helped Addison up the steps of the brownstone, he couldn't help but flashback to only a week prior when he'd been doing the same for Derek. Two weekends in a row he'd spent with each of the Shepherd's, watching them drink themselves silly and he had to wonder when it had come to that. They were both _so_ unhappy and he hated seeing his best friends like that. For years they'd been a picture perfect happy couple - now all Mark saw when he looked at them were two very unhappy people stuck in a miserable marriage. He didn't think he could do much though, he was just the idiot best friend that was trying to be there for the both of them.

"Do you think Derek's home?" Addison asked softly, voice tinged with a hope that surprised Mark.

"I don't know, Ads," Mark answered as he took the front door key from her purse and unlocked the door. He didn't want to get her hopes up.

He pushed the door open, ushering Addison inside ahead of him. All the lights were off and the house was dark. Neither needed to say it because they both knew that meant Derek wasn't home.

"What's wrong with me?" Addison whispered sadly and Mark could tell without even seeing her face that she was close to tears.

And before Mark can really think about what he's doing, he's wrapped her up in his arms, pulling her close to his chest and hugging her fiercely. Crying women were not his forte. But Addison crying was simply unthinkable.

"Hey, shhh, absolutely nothing is wrong with you. You're perfect, Red," Mark murmured to her comfortingly, pressing a sweet gentle kiss to the top of her head.

Mark held Addison for several long minutes, a large hand sweeping soothingly up and down her back. She hadn't completely broken down crying but it was close enough; the alcohol in her system having rendered her more emotional than normal. Not that it took much these days to make her cry.

Eventually Addison pulled away, wiping at her eyes quickly as she looked up at Mark, giving him a watery smile. "I think I should probably just...go to bed. Thanks Mark," Addison slurred a little, kicking her shoes off finally and moving towards the foot of the stairs.

Mark frowned though, taking a step closer and resting a hand on her wrist. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" He asked, the concern dripping from his voice.

Addison nodded, giving him a small smile. "I'll be fine. I just need to sleep," she insisted with a slight shrug.

"Okay. If you're sure," Mark nodded, lifting his hand from her arm and taking a step back towards the door. "Remember to sleep on your side. Just in case," he told her lightly, tone almost teasing as he opened the front door.

Addison chuckled a little at his words but nodded. "Okay Mark."

Mark grinned at the words, giving her a little wave before he stepped outside and then closed and locked the door. He still had Addison's keys in his hand but figured he'd return them to her on Monday. Besides that, it made him feel better to know that the front door was locked and Addison was safe.

Addison waited for a moment before slowly making her way upstairs and struggling out of her dress. She was still fairly tipsy and decided that changing out of her dress was good enough but she didn't even want to attempt to remove her makeup too. Clumsily she climbed into bed, shifting onto her side and snuggling into her pillow, falling asleep with Mark on her mind.

**..**

The hangover Addison had woken up with was killer - she was sure it was the hangover of the century. The way her head had pounded, it just had to be. Slowly, she'd made her way out of bed, pulling on one of Derek's t-shirts and heading downstairs for some aspirin. She felt gross and grimy still in her underwear from the night before and her makeup still on; the last time she'd woken up like this had to have been college. Walking into the kitchen she cringed at the brightness of the room and the radio Derek had seen fit to turn on.

"Seems like you had a good night last night," Derek ventured, tone the wrong side of condescension for Addison's liking.

She ignored him as she grabbed for the aspirin from the medicine cabinet and a water bottle from the fridge. She popped two pills and washed them down with water before leaning back against the kitchen counter. "Don't start Derek," she murmured, shaking her head a little. She was just glad she wasn't on call; there was no way she could responsibly practice medicine right now. She just hoped that she didn't get called in for any emergencies.

"What? We can't have a discussion about your drinking?" Derek said, raising an eyebrow as he peered over at Addison.

"I had a little too much to drink. It's not like you've never done the same," Addison sighed. She really didn't want to get into some kind of argument with Derek. She knew what he was trying to imply and she just didn't have the energy to deal with it. Instead, she took her water bottle and left the kitchen.

An hour and one hot, steamy shower later, Addison was coming back down the stairs feeling refreshed. She still felt a little sick but her head no longer pounded and she no longer felt grimy either. But she needed to get out of the house, she didn't think she could deal with Derek's passive-aggressive sniping for the rest of the day. She was just pulling on a pair of heeled boots when Derek made his way into the foyer, brows knitted together as he took in her appearance.

Addison spoke, before he could even ask the question. "I have a patient, in labor. They held off on paging me because it's my day off, but…" she trailed off then, shrugging. The lie had tumbled so easily from her lips she'd surprised herself. "I don't know when I'll be back," Addison told him, picking up her things and giving him a weak smile. "I'll be back later." And with that, she was out the door.

**..**

Addison hadn't even thought about where she was going until she was on her way up to Mark's apartment and knocking on his door. Somehow her need to get out of the house had lead her straight to Mark; it made sense in a way. The week before he'd made her feel so much better and it didn't even cross her mind that he might not even be home.

She fiddled with her wedding rings as she waited for the door to open. When it did, she practically beamed at the sight of Mark. "Hi," Addison said lightly, when she recognised the confusion on Mark's features at her apparent, sudden appearance at his apartment.

"Hey. Hey Red," Mark greeted her, clearing his throat a little, as he smiled down at her. "Not that you're not welcome but, what are you doing here? Did you come to get your keys? I was going to drop them off to you tomorrow," Mark rambled, happy to see her but surprised, as he opened the door wider and stepped aside to let her in.

Addison frowned, head tilting up at him curiously. "My keys?" she questioned, wondering what on Earth he was talking about.

"Yeah," Mark nodded, shutting the door behind her. "I...have them. I locked the front door of the brownstone last night. I shot Derek a text, I figured he told you and that's why…" Mark explained, trailing off at the look on Addison's face at the mention of Derek. Clearly Derek hadn't passed on the message. He gestured towards the couch and waited until she'd sat down before he took a seat beside her, a sports game muted on his tv screen.

"No. He didn't tell me," Addison said shortly, dropping her handbag by her feet. She shook her head though, turning to look properly at Mark. "I came over because, I um...wanted to say _thank you_ for looking out for me last night. I'm not your responsibility in any way. But you take such good care of me Mark. Even when you don't have to," she finished softly, shrugging her shoulders as she looked at him. She could the blush rising to her cheeks and quickly looked away, focusing her eyes on the television even though she had no idea what was going on.

Mark shook his head at the words, smiling a little as he looked over at Addison. "You don't have to thank me Addison. You're my friend, of course I'm gonna take care of you," he told her sincerely. He didn't just do it because Derek was his best friend; he genuinely cared for Addison, sometimes he thought more then he probably should.

 _Just my friend?_ Addison wanted to ask, the thought popping unbidden into her mind but she shook it away quickly. She couldn't ask that, she didn't even know _why_ she wanted to ask him that. He was Mark - Derek's best friend, _her_ best friend. She couldn't think of him as anything other then that.

"Well, I'm glad," Addison murmured, glancing over at him with a soft smile. Their eyes connected for a moment and again another inappropriate question came to her. "Do you really think I'm perfect?" she asked quietly, voice barely above a whisper, her cheeks immediately flushing red. She shook her head, turning her gaze away from Mark's. She was sure he'd only said it the night before to comfort her, she doubted he'd really meant it.

Mark was surprised by the question and sat up a little straighter. He moved a little closer, reaching a hand out to brush a few strands of her red hair gently back over her shoulder. The motion startled her and Addison turned to look at Mark, teeth worrying the inside of her bottom lip as she looked at him.

"Of course I do. You're pretty damn perfect to me, Red," Mark told her softly.

The butterflies in Addison's stomach from the week before were back full force as she heard his words and saw the look in his ice blue eyes. All of a sudden Addison had the inescapable urge to kiss Mark. The very idea of it startled Addison; for all the years that she'd known Mark, she'd never been so physically attracted to him then she was in that moment. Her eyes dropped from his, to gaze at his lips for a moment before flicking back up. Slowly, she leant forward.

A large, warm hand cupped her cheek. "We can't," Mark whispered, their hot breath mingling their lips were so close. "We can't, Addie," he repeated, shaking his head as his thumb caressed the soft skin of her cheek.

Addison gasped at the words, pulling away quickly. "Shit! Mark. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she mumbled, finally pulling herself away from Mark and standing abruptly. Her head and stomach swam with nausea.

"It's okay. It's okay Addie. Nothing happened," Mark insisted, standing hurriedly. He didn't want Addison freaking out over something that _hadn't_ happened. His hands settled on her upper arms, forcing her to gently look up at him. "Nothing happened, okay? Just a momentary lapse in judgement. _It's okay_ ," Mark insisted, trying to sound as convincing as possible.

Addison took a few breaths, still frowning but eventually she nodded. Mark was right in a way, nothing _had_ happened. But that didn't mean she should stay, not when her emotions and her hormones were clearly out of control around the man.

"Nothing happened," Addison repeated, biting her lip as she pulled herself gently from Mark's hands. "But, uh...I should probably go," she said softly, leaning down to grab her bag, already heading determinedly for the door.

"Yeah. That's probably a good idea," Mark nodded, taking a step back and running a hand through his slightly curly hair. A thought struck him then and he moved towards the kitchen. "Your keys," he called, stopping her by the door. He grabbed them from the kitchen counter, where he'd deposited them the night before and met her in the small hallway towards the door.

"Thanks, Mark," Addison said giving him a tight smile as he dropped the keys in her hand, careful not to touch her at all. Then she turned and was out the door without another word.

As Addison made her way hastily out of Mark's apartment building, she decided to never bring up the moment they'd just had ever again. It would only cause trouble. And no matter how much she'd wanted to kiss Mark in that moment, she knew she couldn't be unfaithful to Derek. The very thought of it sickened her. She wouldn't turn into her father's daughter.

Mark simply sighed, closing his eyes as he rested his forehead on the door, a hand smacking angrily against the wood, as he came to the shameful realisation that he _wanted_ Addison, his best friend's wife.


End file.
